Ayotte cosponsored the Taxpayers Right-to-Know-Act, which would require federal agencies to provide an annual "report card" of all federal programs, how they perform, and their cost-effectiveness.

"Over the past three years, GAO has identified 162 areas of fragmentation, overlap, and duplication in federal agencies," Ayotte said. "Yet, the GAO's 2013 report found that of its approximately 300 recommended actions, only 65 were addressed, 149 were partially-addressed, and 85 were not addressed by Congress or the Executive Branch."

The GAO reviewed 31 areas of government spending, including 17 areas of extensive duplication, fragmentation, and overlap, and 14 areas of larger potential cost-savings through addressing waste and management, the release said.

"Duplicative programs are an obvious place to find savings, and that's why I've voted numerous times to save billions of taxpayer dollars by consolidating or eliminating overlapping government programs," Ayotte said.

"With $17 trillion in debt, there's no excuse for Congress' failure to act on GAO's common sense recommendations."